Bryan Hullihen Discusses the "Broken Brain"

Working in the field of substance abuse treatment has afforded me the opportunity to meet so many interesting people. I have witnessed countless people come into treatment with the same broken and defeated expression on their faces to leave a few months later walking tall and feeling capable of living a sober life. I have also had the unfortunate experience of seeing those defeated individuals come into treatment asking for help but, for one reason or another, deny themselves the willingness to receive it. Many of these unfortunate individuals have gone on in their suffering to die a premature death and although they were given every opportunity to get better, left a trail of heartache and suffering in their wake. The main distinction that I have found between these two types of cases in the treatment setting is the ability to take suggestions. The successful group is typically comprised of people that have been able to, not only form a strong therapeutic alliance with their treatment team, but also take the suggestions of those who are working to help them. The other, unsuccessful, group is filled with people who continue to trust their own thinking and persist in trying things their own way while they continue to suffer. It is important for me to maintain that these statements are not intended to blame those whose alcoholism and addiction are so strong that they are not successful in their attempts at recovery. These are statements merely based on observation over the many years that I have worked in substance abuse treatment. I have known so many people over the years who, in the middle of their treatment, would come into their therapist’s office and explain how they are ready to leave and they now know what they need to do. That very statement shows how wrong they are because what they need to do is stop trusting their broken brain until it has had a chance to heal. The sad thing is that they believe what they are saying so much that if we were to hook them up to a lie detector machine they would pass. This is the saddest part of working in treatment; knowing that these people have a chance to be successful if they could just surrender to the process of getting better. If they could simply learn that the only thing that matters for a while is getting better and taking direction. The question then becomes, as a person tasked with helping those folks recover. What can we say or do to help someone new to recovery who thinks they now have their life under control when we know they don't? Answers to this question will vary, however, if the previous statement characterizes you then I suggest that you do everything you can to recognize that you are surely heading for a heartache. Allow yourself to be led for a while by those whose sole vocation is to help people recover from a seemingly hopeless state of mind and body. Understand that you have a broken brain that is trying to kill you while also recognizing that your broken brain can heal if you stop trusting it so it can heal. It is not possible to spot self-deception by yourself so you can be sure your brain has healed when someone who knows better tells you so. Thank you for your time and support I look forward to your comments.

Sincerely,

Bryan Hullihen